If You Want A Dodge Durango SRT SUV You Won’t Be Happy
Many have argued that the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT with its Hellcat power is the best SUV today. That may be the reason the entire 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat production has been sold out. So if you want a Durango SRT Hellcat you won’t be happy. What were you waiting for?
That Hellcat engine is cranking out 710 hp in a three-row SUV
That Hellcat engine is cranking out 710 hp in a three-row SUV. That’s pretty amazing. But the Dodge Boys were only ever going to make 2,000 of them. It’s not like this was going to be a top-selling model. But that wasn’t the point.
The good news is that there was a small allocation of Durango SRT Hellcat models for dealerships. So there will be some floating around without and dibs. Dodge has been coy about the reasons for them making the Durango SRT in such short supply but we’ll tell you why.
First, there are not a lot of Hellcat engines floating around Stellantis. Second, with a new round of emissions caps set for 2022 Dodge can’t meet them. So for Stellantis’ sake, this was just a marketing opportunity more than a production player. To be honest, the entire Dodge brand is on thin ice with the merger that formed Stellantis.
The current Durango has soldiered on for eight years
There are really no Dodge models that have been developed recently. The current Durango has soldiered on for eight years. The Challenger came out in 2008 and the Charger in 2005. As for the Grand Caravan, it came out in 2007 as a 2008 model. It has seen mild changes over that time, but it makes up some really old tooling. We’re approaching 15 years since the current Caravan hit the dealership showrooms.
So, as you can see there’s little that is fresh other than stabbing a Hellcat engine into anything with four wheels. And as we said, that won’t be happening come 2022. What is happening is 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds. The top speed is 180 mph and towing capacity is best-in-class for Extended Utility at 8,700 lbs.
You can shake that speed rattle and everyone will slink off
So Dodge has made itself an instant collector-car with the Durango SRT. It puts the perception of a one-in-a-million, just another SUV box out of those who know what it represents. You can shake that speed rattle and everyone will slink off. What other SUV can do that. Porsche? Nah.
This is just another reminder that US buyers in many cases will pay more for power. We believe that is one reason why EVs have been taken seriously. Their instant power and torque make for a torquey, powerful feeling when you pull the trigger. But we digress.
